The rise in interest rates after the taper was on the back of low liquidity around the holidays. 3% is a pretty strong upper bound for the 10-year, and a failure to stay above this level will probably see a re- test of the 275 level in the near term.

Ben Bernanke seems at peace with his looming retirement from the Fed. He’s certainly more relaxed and confident, and even looks more youthful. So much so, in fact, that Ben’s last appearance had me thinking of a young Tom Cruise - or more specifically, Cruise’s character Pete Mitchell (“Maverick”) in the 1986 film Top Gun. Remember when Maverick froze up during a dogfight with a Soviet MiG fighter, with his crosshairs trained perfectly on it?

More upside surprises are still likely and, despite the disappointing jobs report, the overall economic picture still supports a September taper. The improving economic picture is not just happening within the U.S., but in other major countries. We still believe the upside for the U.S. 10-year is limited.

If interest rates keep going higher from here, we would run the risk of derailing a still-fragile recovery. As long as the Fed tapering uncertainty exists, we expect higher volatility on the 10-year yield to persist in the mean time.

If you think being “sequestered” or “Cyprussed” is no fun, turn the calendar back a century. 1913 saw the authorization of the Federal Reserve System and the ratification of the income tax amendment to the Constitution. (CNBC’s Rick Santelli would have been apoplectic.)